Cover photo of ‘A Reason to Run’ (photo courtesy of Mike Magluilo).

It all started in 2020 when Mike Magluilo ‘98 began writing a letter to his sons. Specifically, he wrote a letter to them about growing up and all the experiences and lessons that appear along the way. Soon, the letter grew into a short story. From that, the project transformed into a complete novel.

 Because of this, he decided to take a new path and break away from his finance career that kept him away from home four days a week. The time allowed him to complete “A Reason to Run” three years later which was published on Oct. 10 with Rootstock Publishing.

“I was able to write about what I know,” Magluilo said. “Chicago creates a unique setting that’s colorful and gritty and historic like no other place I’ve lived.”

Many of the fictional elements of the book were inspired by his experiences growing up in the La Grange area. Local places like Bennett Field, the Vaughan Fieldhouse, St. Francis Xavier, Little Joe’s, the Competitive Foot (closed), the Wheel Thing, Palmer Place, the La Grange Country Club, Bemis Woods, Graue Mill and the La Grange train station all make appearances with different names, he said.

“A Reason to Run” is a fictional coming of age story set in suburban Chicago in the late 1980s, and is about a teenage boy learning to survive after an almost fatal biking accident destroys his plans to win a scholarship and escape his small town. The only way he finds solace and a way to heal his broken body is through running. 

“I hope the book will resonate with young adult readers trying to figure out where they fit in the world,” Magluilo said. “I wrote a book I would have liked to read when I was an ambitious, yet confused, teenager.” 

Magluilo became interested in writing a novel in the seventh grade when he read “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton and was fascinated with the idea of capturing life in words and on paper. Being a student member of the LION Newspaper only fueled his passion for writing and encouraged his dream of writing his very own novel. 

Glen Brown, his newspaper adviser when he was a student, was one of his key influences and inspired a lifelong love of writing. He intends to read the novel, and is proud of his former student, Brown said. 

“Writing has been a passion of mine since I was a kid,” Magluilo said. “During high school, I found it was much easier to communicate my thoughts on paper than verbally. Writing allowed me to revise and revise until I got the words just right.”

Creating a novel and writing a story inspired by some aspect of his life was a constant dream he had, Magluilo said. He especially wanted to make something creative and fictional derived from his own experiences and emotions during a certain phase of life. At first, he was unsure of what that was until he sat down and took the time to immerse himself in the story he wanted to create. 

“I expect every writer’s first novel is sort of their practice novel. Many writers hide them away in a drawer,” he said. “I figured I’d be like my main character and stick my neck out by sharing my dream with others. The only problem I’ve found with publishing my first novel is I’m setting higher expectations for my second novel.”  

“A Reason to Run” is meant for ambitious young people trying to figure out where they fit in, and the paths they take through the messiness of life that eventually lead to chasing dreams that are personal and important and a little bit scary, Magulio said. 

He spent most of his adult life living in the Midwest, Colorado and London. Now he lives in Vermont with his wife and three children.

“A Reason to Run” is available for purchase online and in most bookstores.